Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-12-22
THOUSANDS 0FLlVESLOST
The Yellow River, in China, Overnows
Its Banks, Sweeping Away Eleven
PopulouS Cities.
CeleStialS Drowned in Immense Num-
berS. and Million Survivors
Reported Starving.
1nnumerable Dead.

| The steamship City of Sidney has ar
rived at San Francisco from Hong Kong
and Yokohama bringing the news of the
| terrible food
Chinese papers give details OF a disas-
aster occasIoned by the Yellow river over
lowing its banks in the province of
Honau, and describe it SIS one of the
| most appalling occurrences IN loss of life
and property recorded in recent times.
The river broke Its bank on the even
ing OF Sept. 2S, southwest of the city of
Ching Chow, and not only completely in
undated that city, but also ten other pop
ulous cities.
Inc whole area Is now raging sea, ten
to thirty feet deep, where it was dense
~ populated and rich plain. The form
er bed OF the Yellow river is now dry, and
The present lake was the bed of the river
centuries ago.
The loss of life is incalculable, and the
| statement is made by missionaries that
millions of Chinese are homeless and
starving.
A MIssIoNARYs LETTER,
Thomas Patton, one of the American
missionaries, writing from Honau Pro
vince under date of October 2S. saws:
"The newly gathered crops, houses, and
trees are all swept away, involving fear
full loss of life. The country was covered
with fine winter braid, which is gone. and
implies the complete destruction of next
years crop. Bread, bread is the cry of
thousands, who are on the river bank.
Benevolent people go in boats and throw
bread among the masses here and there,
but it is nothing compared with the re-
qulrements, The mass of people is still
being increased by continual arrivals,
even more hungry than the last. There
they sit, stunned, hungry, and detected,
without rag to wear or a morsel of food.
Mat huts ale being erected for them to
the west of this, but what it will be in two
months | can't conceive. The misery is
increased owing to the bitter cold
weather.
The Yellow river has long been known as
CH1NA's SORROW,
ard the present disaster has served to re-
assert its right to the terrible title AS
yet details of the disaster are very
meager. It has occurred in a district
where but few foreigners are, and reports
furnished by the officials and published
in the Picking Gazette convey very mad
equate particulars of the extent of the
loss of life and property and the suffer
ings of the survivors. The governor in
Honau reports to the throne that NEARLY
all the people have been drowned in the
district reached by the water, the sur
vivors being those who escaped to high
ground or took refuge in trees, where they
remained till they were rescued"
This gives but little impression as TO
what the extent of the disaster really is.
The Chinese Times states that in the
province of Chilli, where disastrous in
undations have also occurred, there are
100000 people homeless, representing
those whose lives were destroyed, and
adds that the missing in that province is
trifing compared with that caused by
Huango-Ho, or Yellow river.
The extent of the ground swept by
overwhelming flood, given in English
figures, is
OVER 1000 SQUARE MILES,
and the land thus submerged formed
part of one of the richest and most dense
ly populated plains of Northern China.
The necessity for liberal aid may there
fore be imagined. Already considerable
sums have been contributed toward the
relief of the sufferers. The Emperor of
China, has given 100000 of taels, and
the Chinese have started subscription
list in Shanghai, to which foreigners have
contributed literally.
Millions have been rendered homeless,
and entirely deprived of all chances of
earning their livelihood, for their fields
will either become permanent lakes or
Hninhabitable swamps. 1t is feared that
the distress which will be felt during the
coming winter will equal in intensity the
famine of ten years ago, when charitable
donations contributed from all parts of
the world were utterly inadequate.
1t is stated that owing to the action
taken by the Yellow River it no longer
flows toward the sea, but seems content
in converting Eastern Honau and North
ern Nganwhui into a lake. It may Ulti-
mately flow into the sea through Khan
gon, or it may even possible join the